Conference presentation
Increasing the affordability and availability of fresh high quality Australian seafood
2012 University Research Conference Program Book, p.12
USC Research Conference, 2012 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 09-Jul-2012–13-Jul-2012)
University of the Sunshine Coast
2012
Abstract
Australia now imports more seafood than it exports, despite having the third largest marine Economic Exclusion Zone in the world. Seafood imports will rise further after approval to host 70% of the globe's marine parks in the Australian EEZ. This shift is felt personally, viz. our 'local fish-and-chips shops' now typically sell frozen imported seafood like freshwater Vietnamese catfish, and quality local fish is unaffordable for ordinary Australians on a regular basis. This creates a paradox whereby families wish to enjoy the health benefits of seafood but are unsure about the safety of imported seafood. Further, not only are we unable to enjoy quality, safe, fresh Australian product, but we cannot control the production practices and environmental impacts of overseas seafood production. Globally, aquaculture is meeting the demand for seafood now unfilled by wild fisheries, but in Australia aquaculture growth is often constrained by lack of licence approvals (e.g. no new prawn farm licence approvals for ten years). Increasing the efficiency of existing aquaculture industries is one way to increase production of Australian seafood, reduce costs and increase affordability. USC is working with aquaculture companies across Australia to help create more and efficient production by developing new breeds of aquacultured organisms that are suited to captive production. The domestication and genetic improvement of terrestrial species like sheep and wheat commenced thousands of years ago and led to massive gains in productivity, so that today we could not afford to eat eggs produced by wild chickens, or flour milled from wild wheat. The same massive gains are in prospect for aquacultured species- our challenge is making this happen not in 10,000 years but within decades and for all our diverse aquacultured species. How we are doing this, using both quantitative genetics and molecular genetics, will be the subject of the talk.
Details
- Title
- Increasing the affordability and availability of fresh high quality Australian seafood
- Authors
- Wayne R Knibb (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health and Education
- Publication details
- 2012 University Research Conference Program Book, p.12
- Conference details
- USC Research Conference, 2012 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 09-Jul-2012–13-Jul-2012)
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Date published
- 2012
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449163202621
- Output Type
- Conference presentation
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